The Truth in the Lie
by shannyfish
Summary: The case of a missing marine leads Gibbs down into the past and questions if the truth he knows is true. Takes place during Season Six.
1. The Trail

**Title:** The Truth in the Lie  
**Author:** Shannon - shannyfish  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own "NCIS" or its characters, CBS does. This is merely for entertainment purposes only.  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** The case of a missing marine leads Gibbs down into the past and questions if the truth he knows if true. Takes place during Season Six.

**Warnings:** Spoilers for Season Five Episode "Judgment Day".

**Chapter 1 – "The Trail"**

**Author's Note: **Okay, this is my first "NCIS" fanfic...I've mostly stuck with "Bones" lately...though I am still working on my epic fanfic. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

................................

**NCIS Headquarters**

"I don't see how a missing marine is our purview," Tony complained. He spun around in his chair, so that he was facing the screen with Captain Andrew Macklyn's picture on it.

"Wow, using big words today, Tony? Were you reading the dictionary?" McGee teased.

"Very cute, McGeek."

Ziva shook her head. "He has a clean record and he just vanished, Tony. Obviously he's in some kind of trouble."

"Or he's just out having a good time," Tony pointed out. "If I was all work and no play, eventually I think I'd need to go to Hooters and have a break."

"Hooters?" Ziva inquired with disgust.

"What? It's an honest establishment," Tony shrugged it off.

"We don't even have any clues to follow past the marines that we've already interviewed," Ziva said aloud. "It's odd...really."

"I even hacked his system, there are no hidden files," McGee spoke up. "He's practically the poster boy for the Marine Corps."

"Except he's missing," Gibbs said as he walked in with his cup of coffee in hand. "Where are we?"

"No where?" Tony offered. "His buddies and family all say the same thing. That he loves his job and has no life...basically, Boss."

"We've searched his quarters and his parents let us search his bedroom at their place, but we didn't come up with anything suspicious or anything to give us any leads," Ziva added.

McGee noticed the look on Gibbs' face. They were not scoring any points. "His computer's clean too, Boss."

"Did you have Abby look at it?" Gibbs questioned as he eyed McGee.

"No."

"Get it down to Abby," Gibbs instructed. "A marine just doesn't disappear..."

"Do you think he might have just decided that he was done?" Tony asked. "I mean, it seems like all he does is do his job."

"He's a captain, DiNozzo," Gibbs said. "If he wanted to walk off, he would have done it a lot sooner."

................................

**Abby's Lab**

"Please tell Gibbs that I wasn't wrong," McGee pleaded. Abby wasn't letting him see what she was doing, he had a feeling it was because she was feeling competitive. It wasn't often that Gibbs had her double check his results.

"But I found something," Abby said with a bright smile and then changed the screen that McGee was near to what she'd found.

McGee studied the picture for a moment. "A little girl?" he questioned. She was a beautiful child that couldn't be older than ten. She was in a uniform; it was obvious that she went to a private school. She wore a white blouse, a dark red vest, a dark blue plaid skirt, and a dark blue coat with a cold crest embroidered on the left breast.

"She's adorable," Abby commented. The girl's pale skin was contrasted by her bright red hair, which was curled and pulled back away from her face. Her bright blue eyes looked happy as she smiled in the picture. "You don't think this is like kiddy porn, do you?" she questioned.

"It looks like she's outside," he said as he studied it. "She may attend boarding school. It looks like a picture that someone took at school."

"But what school?" Abby asked. "And how does she fit into the missing marine? I mean, I've seen Captain Macklyn's picture and he's hot, but I doubt he's her father."

McGee shrugged, "She could be. Sometimes kids don't always have features from both parents."

"Trust me, McGee."

"So, why do you think that he has the picture?" McGee asked.

Abby pulled down the picture and then pulled up an e-mail account she'd found. "Something else you missed, Timmy," she told him.

"I looked over the hard drive twice," McGee told her. "Where did you find all of this?"

"It wasn't on the hard drive," Abby explained and held up a belt buckle. "It was hidden," she told him with a smirk.

"In his belt buckle?" Gibbs asked as he entered with a Caf-Pow for Abby. "What was hidden there, Abs?"

Abby smiled as she accepted the large cup and sipped for a second before bringing up the information. "There were hidden files on a two gigabyte flash drive that I found in his Marine Corps issued belt buckle. It contains correspondences along with a picture of a little girl." She turned to Gibbs with her bright smile, "The reason McGee couldn't find it on the computer was because he saved it directly from the internet to the flash drive."

"What do these correspondences say?"

"Not sure yet, just found them," Abby reported.

"And the girl?"

"There's no name attached," Abby explained. "I can run it through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database."

"Do it," Gibbs instructed and started to leave.

"Boss," McGee spoke up. "I think we may be able to blow up the crest on her school jacket. That may lead us somewhere."

"Do it."

..........................

**Autopsy**

"I don't understand why I was brought in to consult this case, there's no body, Abby," Ducky complained as he was pulled against his will towards his computer. "What exactly are you going to have me look at Abigail?" he asked as her fingers flew over his keyboard.

"I still don't even know what to make of it," McGee admitted.

Abby brought up the e-mails and then opened one of them. "Look," Abby instructed as she pointed to the signature. "J. Shepard." She turned and looked at Ducky. She didn't think that he'd hide her faking her own death, but Abby couldn't be sure until she saw the look on his face. It showed her nothing. Ducky looked rather confused and surprised than like he was hiding anything.

"We need to know about Director Shepard's autopsy, Ducky," McGee spoke up. He didn't want to think that Ducky was keeping something from them, but they needed to cover every angle.

"I didn't conduct it," Ducky told them honestly. "Her body was removed from cold storage before I could do one. I can assure you, though, that her injuries wouldn't be able to be healed, let alone Jenny Shepard being brought back to life after lying in a cold box for so long. She lost a lot of blood."

Abby frowned, that wasn't what she wanted to hear. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure there are plenty of other J. Shepards, Abigail." He frowned and turned to McGee, "And shame on you for not talking some sense into her earlier. I just hope that you haven't talked to Jethro about this. You can't just go around making assumptions with no evidence."

"Abby hasn't shown you the picture yet," McGee spoke up.

"Unless it's Jenny with a date stamp, I doubt I'll believe it," Ducky told them. "You know date stamps on cameras can even be tampered with."

"I know, Ducky," Abby told him and then changed the screen to the picture. "Tell me that she doesn't look like Director Shepard."

Ducky turned and took in the small child. "There are some resemblances," Ducky allowed aloud and then thought differently of it after a moment. He knew that he shouldn't be encouraging her direction. "I still don't understand the link of this girl, the e-mails, a missing marine captain, and Director Shepard."

"In the e-mails," McGee explained. "There are instructions dating back to when Captain Macklyn was stationed overseas in England and France to look in on Sophia."

"That's what we think her name is," Abby spoke up.

"So, what do you think with all of this? That Director Shepard had a secret daughter that she kept in England and France and none of us know about?" Ducky asked.

"The e-mails from J. Shepard haven't stopped, Ducky," McGee spoke up. "It was quiet for about two months after Director Shepard's death, but then they picked up again."

"The last e-mail requested that he meet J. Shepard at Heathrow today," Abby spoke up. "The travel arrangements that we looked into were made by the NCIS account and were okayed by Jenny Shepard."

"That doesn't prove anything, I'm afraid, Abigail," Ducky said.

"But, Ducky—"

Ducky patted her shoulder, "Abigail, Darling...listen to me. Jennifer Shepard is death. God bless her soul. Don't pursue this; it's only going to end up with people crushed. I don't know if Jethro can go through thinking that she's alive only to find that this was all faked by some sick person. Do you understand?" he asked.

"Yes, Ducky," Abby said quietly.

He turned to McGee, "And as for you, Timothy... I expect that you not encourage Abigail so. You're only both going to get yourselves into trouble."

"Yes, Ducky," McGee responded with a frown.

"Okay, off with you both. No more Caf-Pow today, Abigail," Ducky instructed. He had a feeling that the caffeine enhanced beverage had something to do with her crazy ideas.

As Abby and McGee left autopsy, they both walked in silence as they made their way to the elevator. McGee hit the button to call the elevator and then waited. "Is it just me, or does Ducky make you feel like you're five, too?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah," Abby said. "I feel like that too."

"You know what this means we have to do," McGee said as they stepped into the elevator together.

Abby smiled and looked over at him. "Pull the tapes from Heathrow and prove that Director Shepard is alive?"

"And call the boarding school and see if they have a Sophia Shepard on their student list?" McGee asked.

"She's probably going by a different last name," McGee pointed out.

"Good point."

McGee smiled, "Let's do it then."

..........................

TBC...


	2. Secret Plans

**Title:** The Truth in the Lie  
**Author:** Shannon - shannyfish  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own "NCIS" or its characters, CBS does. This is merely for entertainment purposes only.  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** The case of a missing marine leads Gibbs down into the past and questions if the truth he knows is true. Takes place during Season Six.

**Warnings:** Spoilers for Season Five Episode "Judgment Day".

**Chapter 2 – "Secret Plans"**

**Author's Note: **Okay, this is my first "NCIS" fanfic...I've mostly stuck with "Bones" lately...though I am still working on my epic fanfic. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

................................

**Abby's Lab**

"You know Gibbs is going to fire both of us," McGee commented aloud.

"He wouldn't fire me," Abby argued. "I mean, really...if you think about it, Timmy. We're doing Gibbs a favor." She smiled brightly at him before looking back to her computer screen. They'd managed to get footage from Heathrow Airport, though it hadn't been exactly through the most legal channels.

McGee moved closer to Abby in order to assist in spotting their missing captain. "You know what we should do? We should look through Captain Macklyn's record and see if he's been on any assignment under the director."

"Why not just ask Leon directly?" Gibbs asked. Gibbs didn't miss the look on surprise on both of their faces as they snapped their heads in his direction in unison. Obviously, they weren't expecting him.

"Because he wasn't the director we were talking about," Abby said as she got off of her chair and approached Gibbs. She laced her arm through his and turned him around. "But I don't have anything right now, Gibbs. Your radar must not be working a full capacity today."

"Why do I feel like I'm being kicked out?" he asked as he eyed Abby and stopped, not allowing her to move him further.

"Because I'm kicking you out," she told him putting her hands on her hips.

Gibbs tilted his head and looked around Abby, he pointed at McGee. "But he's still here." Gibbs straightened and stared right at Abby. "There's something you're not telling me."

"Why would you say that, Gibbs?" Abby asked as she tried to put on her innocent persona.

"Because I know you and McGee well enough to know that you're hiding something from me. Now, all I want to know is if it has something to do with Captain Macklyn or if it's something between the two of you?" Of course, Gibbs wasn't sure which subject he'd find more irritating that they were hiding. At the same time, he really didn't want to know much about their relationship, though he did want Abby to be happy. McGee happy would piss off Tony, so he supposed that he wanted both Abby and McGee to be happy.

Abby looked back over and McGee and then back to Gibbs. "Yeah...it's personal," she lied with a smile.

"You're lying..."

"No, I'm not..." Abby replied.

Gibbs looked between the two of them. He knew that Abby was lying, but he didn't know why. He had a feeling that it had to be for a good reason. Maybe she didn't have everything in yet and didn't want to give him just a piece of a bigger picture. Either way, he didn't like it. Though he didn't think he was going to get through to her to telling him at the moment. "Okay," he gave in. "When you've decided to tell me, then let me know." He turned and headed back the way he'd come.

Abby turned around with a bright smile. She was proud of herself for getting Gibbs to leave. "I did it, Timmy!" she exclaimed.

"You lied to Gibbs," McGee said in shock. They were going to get into so much trouble later. Gibbs would have them digging their own graves for keeping this secret from him.

"Technically, I was obeying Ducky's orders," Abby added putting her hands on her hips.

McGee tilted his head slightly and squinted a bit as he tried to think how that would go over. They were so dead. Dead and buried. "Yeah," McGee said slowly and lowly. "I really don't think he's going to go for that."

"But it's the truth," Abby insisted as she walked towards him. "You were there."

"Ducky meant for us to drop the whole thing, Abby."

"That's not how_ I_ heard it."

"How did you hear it?" McGee asked, but knew that he'd regret asking that question later.

Abby sat down in the stool next to McGee. "Well, I heard it clearly as Ducky just not wanting us to tell Gibbs yet because we don't have solid proof. And solid proof being like Jenny on tapes...or...or maybe...well I'm not sure yet."

McGee frowned. "What if Ducky's right? If we're chasing shadows?"

"Do you really think that J. Shepard is just a coincidence, McGee?" Abby asked as she turned and stared at him. "If she's out there, don't you think that she'd want us to help her? I mean, she really might need our help!"

"Then why wouldn't she just ask for it?"

Abby rolled her eyes and turned back to the computer in front of her. "Hello! She's supposed to be dead! She's probably just trying to keep her cover. She knows that we're smart enough to connect the dots and follow the bread crumbs straight to her!"

"But she's in Europe."

"I have a passport," Abby said with a shrug.

McGee's jaw dropped. "You have a passport? How's that supposed to help us? What are you proposing? That we run off to Europe to possibly chase down Director Sheppard, Captain Macklyn, and that girl."

"Her name is Sophia, McGee... Use her name, it's polite," Abby said gently as she eyed him and then went back to her computer consol.

"You know...if Gibbs doesn't kill us first, then we're definitely going to get fired if we go with that plan," McGee told her.

Abby turned back to him with a bright smile, "Not if they don't know."

"How are we going to manage that, Abby? Where are we going to get money for a flight?"

"I think you doubt my powers, McGee!" Abby told him, trying to feign insult.

McGee frowned. "Now I'm scared."

Abby grinned. "You should be."

..............................

**Later...**

**Abby's Lab**

Tony and Ziva entered Abby's lab as called by McGee and Tony was curious when he didn't spot neither Abby nor McGee. "Is it just me or is this odd?" Tony asked Ziva.

"Well, Abby and McGee are odd," Ziva replied.

"Good point."

Ziva sighed. "Weren't we promised lunch?"

"We were!" Tony said and moved deeper into Abby's lab and finally spotted her pacing in her inner office. "Hey Abs! Where's McGeek?" Tony called and then cracked a smile at his own joke.

Abby exited her office and approached them. "He went to go get food," she explained. "We promised food."

"You did," Tony agreed. "The question is, why are you bribing Ziva and I down here?"

"You know we might have just come down if you'd have asked," Ziva suggested.

Abby made a face and then looked around. "Call it an incentive for putting your lives on the line."

"What's going on?" Tony asked suspiciously. He started to look around the lab. "Is this some kind of NCIS version of Punk'd?" he asked.

"What is Punk'd?" Ziva asked.

"Oh, you'd like it..." he told her and then went on to explain the premise of the show. "See? Isn't it genius?"

Ziva smiled. "It sounds like a show that you'd like to enact."

"You have to admit," Tony said. "It would be amusing. Think of all the things we could do to McGee. Something new everyday. Post it on youtube, we'd have our very own Punk'd web show, NCIS style!"

Abby frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Tony!" she scolded. "That's not very nice! Timmy went out and got you food and you're plotting against him?"

Tony shrugged. "Not my fault. I'm bored." He leaned against one of the desks. "Anyways, you said that we're putting our lives on the line...we might as well have fun torturing McGee while we're doing it."

"I heard that!" McGee said as he entered with three bags of food and a drink carrier. "I went a long way to get this."

"And we completely appreciate it," Tony said helping McGee with the bags of food and immediately started to look through it all.

"In my office!" Abby said as she pointed. "It's much more of a private place to talk." When McGee didn't move, she pointed again. "You too, McGee."

Once food and drink were distributed and Abby had locked her glass door, she sat at her desk with her food. "Now, we've called you together here in order to discuss something very important."

"It's more like a hunch," McGee corrected.

Abby frowned. "I like to think of it as a call for help."

"Who's calling for help?" Tony asked as he took a bite of his burger.

"Director Shepard," Abby said matter of factly and then frowned again when Tony started to choke on his burger. "You okay, Tony?"

After coughing enough to be able to get the food down and breathe, he sipped some of his soda. He looked up at Abby like she was crazy. Of course, this wasn't the first time the thought of Abby's mental state had popped into his mind. "You think that Jenny's alive?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," Abby responded.

"Why?" Ziva asked.

"Abby thinks that Captain Macklyn was helping her. We found a picture of a little girl, too." McGee looked to Abby before looking back to Ziva and Tony. "Look, we haven't told Gibbs, yet. Ducky short of went off on us for even think of Jenny being alive, let alone the fact that we think that she has a daughter in Europe."

"Probably at a boarding school," Abby added. "I'm still trying to track down the exact one."

"Gibbs is going to kill us all," Tony said.

"But if she's alive!" Abby said.

"But she's not," Ziva said. "Ducky declared her dead. There was _a lot_ of blood, Abby. No one could have survived that..."

"Look, I don't care if you guys believe us, I just need you to cover us while we're gone," Abby said.

"Where are you and McGeek going?" Tony asked. He smirked. "Going off to Vegas to get married? C'mon now...you know you want me to be the best man..."

Abby smiled brightly. Tony always amused her in some way. "No. Timmy and I are going to go wherever the boarding school is, so we can look for Jenny."

"We think that it's in England. Captain Macklyn landed in Heathrow. We're still going through tapes to confirm that he arrived. We also want to see who may have picked him up," McGee explained.

"That doesn't seem smart," Ziva said. "What if you run into trouble?"

"I'll have McGee," Abby said.

"Exactly," Tony said. "What will happen if you guys run into trouble?"

"Funny," McGee responded as he glared at Tony for a moment.

Abby looked at Tony and Ziva. She was trying to figure out if they were going to tell Gibbs. Of course, that would be a bad idea either way, since it would be almost as bad as if they just didn't tell him and he found out. "Are you guys going to help us? Please?" she asked hopefully. She thought that this was important. Not only for Jenny or even Captain Macklyn, but for Gibbs. That's what she was really doing this for. She knew that there was something between Jenny and Gibbs, even if it had just been in the past. He had hurt badly after her loss. It seemed like that was all that Gibbs survived, more and more loss.

"Yeah," Tony said reluctantly. "We'll help you."

"We will?" Ziva asked. "You know Gibbs _will_ kill us."

Tony shrugged a bit. "You're Mossad, you should survive, right?"

Abby immediately hugged Tony gratefully. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she shouted happily. "You won't regret this!" she said before straightening up.

"Oh, I'm sure I will," Tony replied. "Just do me a favor and don't get arrested. I think it'll be harder to bail you two out."

"Can't make any promises," Abby told him. "But we'll try."

"Can we try really hard?" McGee requested.

Abby just shrugged.

....................................

TBC...


	3. Caught in a Lie

**Title:** The Truth in the Lie  
**Author:** Shannon - shannyfish  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own "NCIS" or its characters, CBS does. This is merely for entertainment purposes only.  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** The case of a missing marine leads Gibbs down into the past and questions if the truth he knows is true. Takes place during Season Six.

**Warnings:** Spoilers for Season Five Episode "Judgment Day".

**Chapter 3 – "Caught in a Lie"**

**Author's Note: **

................................

**Washington Dulles International Airport**

"Where are we going?"

The question normally would be innocent on its own, but from who it was coming from it meant that they were outright in trouble. Gibbs! They were so dead. Abby's head fell towards the floor before turning around. Looking up, she sighed when she saw him. She was hoping it was just imagining his voice because of guilt. If only it could have been that simple. "What are you doing here, Gibbs?" Abby asked looking him over. The fact that he was carrying a bag irritated her. He was going to ruin everything. Tony and Ziva were supposed to be covering their backs.

"Nowhere," McGee said quickly. He turned away from the ticket counter as the woman looked over their information.

Gibbs approached the counter and flashed his NCIS badge, "Make it three on the flight."

"I'll see if there's another seat available," the flight checker said politely.

"Make one if there's no seats available," Gibbs said. He turned back to Abby and McGee. "I know you two are hiding something. Tony and Ziva are apparently sworn to secrecy and even my methods of extraction couldn't get anything more than the fact that you two were on a flight out of Dulles. So, what's going on?"

"You'll be upset with us," Abby admitted.

McGee frowned. "Actually, you'll kill us."

"McGee's right, so why don't you just trust us and let us do what we're doing," Abby suggested. "You trust us, don't you Gibbs?"

"Sometimes," Gibbs responded.

"Three tickets to Heathrow," the flight checker told them and handed McGee the tickets. "Are you sure you don't want to check any bags?"

"We're sure," Gibbs responded before yanking Abby and then McGee out of the way. "Good thing I brought my passport," he muttered. He didn't know where they were going with anything, the only thing he knew was that his whole team was going behind his back and nothing was making sense at the moment. "You have until we get to Heathrow to explain whatever you two are up to and it better be good, too."

"Wow, you're giving us that long, Boss?" McGee found himself saying, but then shut up quickly when he realized that it was stupid.

Gibbs shot McGee a look, but didn't say anything. He sighed when he saw the line through airport security for international flights. "You're buying me coffee as soon as we get through this line."

"Gibbs, I will buy you coffee to Heathrow and back," Abby said. "But I promise you, I'm right. What McGee and I were going to do...without you initially...it's important. Not only for you, but for them."

"Who exactly is them?" Gibbs questioned. "Please tell me that Captain Macklyn is somehow involved in our trip across the pond."

"Oh he is!" Abby spoke up quickly.

"He is," McGee agreed. It was true anyways. Gibbs couldn't kill them for the truth, right?

...................................

**En Route to Heathrow Airport**

"Are you sure you're not going to sleep?" Abby asked curiously. They'd already been in the air for three hours and Gibbs was wide awake. "I'm sure I can get them to get you a pillow...a blanket...maybe some vodka."

"Sick of me already, Abby?"

Abby shrugged, "I just feel...claustrophobic... I was supposed to be sitting with Timmy."

"You and Tim plot against me," Gibbs explained.

"I wouldn't exactly call it plotting," Abby told him honestly.

"I really don't plot, Boss," McGee spoke up.

"No," Gibbs spoke up. "Abby gets you whirled into her schemes..."

"I don't scheme..." Abby tried to defend herself.

"Oh you scheme," McGee said quietly, but apparently wasn't quiet enough as he found himself being smacked by Abby. "Ouch!"

Gibbs turned to Abby, "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"I was hoping you'd just...you know...stay in a hotel until we do...what we have to do...and then it's like a surprise," Abby told him innocently.

"I don't like surprises."

"Please Gibbs?"

"Abs—"

"Look, Gibbs, you can be made at me and Timmy, but I promise it's better this way," Abby tried to explain.

"We should just tell him," McGee argued across Gibbs. He didn't want to get fired, let alone killed by Gibbs. He liked his job; he even could tolerate being mocked by Tony. He didn't want to lose NCIS.

"Yes, Abby...tell me," Gibbs said turning from McGee to Abby.

"Traitor," Abby shot at McGee. She sighed. "Just promise me that you won't make us go home right away...that you'll at least let us look it into it first."

"Okay..."

"Promise, Gibbs."

"Alright, I promise." He had a feeling that he'd regret it, but if it was the only way that he could convince her to tell him what was going on he was willing to be stuck in the U.K. for twenty-four hours or so until they could get a flight back home.

"Captain Macklyn...he kept a secret message log," Abby started. "He was helping a J. Shepard."

"Okay, and how exactly does that lead us to Heathrow?"

"He had a flight out," McGee spoke up. "We checked the tapes, he arrived and left the airport."

"Was anyone with him?"

"No," McGee responded.

"Does he plan on returning?" Gibbs questioned.

"He has no return trip planned."

Abby nodded, "But J. Shepard. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Should it?" Gibbs asked.

Abby rolled her eyes and looked upwards towards the ceiling of the plane. How could he _not _see a connection? It was beyond her. "J. Shepard. Director Jenny Shepard."

"Abby, Jenny's dead," Gibbs said sadly.

"How do you know?"

"Abby, why are you doing this?" Memories of Jenny flooded his head. She had been hiding something from him, an illness... Their dinners in her office. Working together as cooperatively as possible. Paris. He wished he could have frozen those moments...those happy carefree moments in Paris...just the two of them.

"Ducky didn't _do_ the autopsy," Abby pointed out. "For all we know, it could have been some elaborate plan. I don't know why she'd do something so _painful_ to us, but she _has_ to have a reason. I think she's protecting someone and Captain Macklyn is helping her."

"Why would he risk his career like that?"

"Captain Macklyn was assigned overseas for some time," McGee said. "He was posted in France, Germany, and the U.K. He's been posted in Europe more than he's been on assignment in country or on the sea."

"_Odd_, isn't it?" Abby asked.

"But why?" Gibbs pushed. He still didn't see a reason for a distinguished captain to risk his career by having the status of AWOL going on his record when something like helping a director of NCIS could have been cleared through regular channels. Even_ if_ Jenny was alive, he knew that she had friends who could have cleared it."

Abby was afraid he'd ask this question. She had taken some time trying to figure out the right wording, but nothing seemed right. It all sounded awkward when she'd practiced it in her head. She pulled her purse from under the seat in front of her and removed a picture from inside and held the picture of the child 'Sophia' up for Gibbs to see. "Captain Macklyn is protecting this girl," Abby told him. "Her name is Sophia."

"Abby thinks that she's Director Shepard's daughter," McGee added.

"You think that Jenny had a daughter? I think I'd know if she had a daughter, Abby," Gibbs said. "We were partners."

"She's about six, we think," Abby told him.

Gibbs decided to stay quiet. It didn't make sense. Jenny was dead. She didn't have a daughter. She would have told him if she had a daughter. Someone would know. Jenny was very sick; wouldn't she have at the very least told him then? Left him a message just in case? He'd know if she had a daughter. Abby was wrong. It would be one of the few times, but Abby was wrong.

"Gibbs?"

"You're wrong, Abs," Gibbs argued calmly.

"I'm not," she countered. "Believe me; I checked the features of Director Shepard's with Sophia's... It's completely possible that Sophia is her daughter. You can't tell me that one of our cases having the name J. Shepard doesn't link us back to her... It can't just be a random coincidence, Gibbs."

"That's exactly what it is."

"Does that mean that we're turning around?" McGee asked a bit disappointed. At the very least, Gibbs had taken Abby's crazy findings and conclusions well. He had been afraid that if there was a flight Marshall on the plane, that Gibbs would get him called to their seat. McGee wasn't sure if he felt safe, though. Gibbs could still blow at any time... For all he knew, Gibbs was waiting until they were on the ground...or back at NCIS headquarters. Neither would surprise McGee.

"Not yet," Gibbs said. "I promised we'd investigate and we will. We will look for Captain Macklyn."

"What about Sophia?" Abby asked.

McGee sat forward in order to look past Gibbs to Abby. "How exactly do you expect to find her?"

Abby beamed, "I found her boarding school. It took a bit longer, but I had to convince them that I was trying to give her a scholarship and that the application had some information missing."

"So, did you get the information?"

"McGee! Of course I got the information! I was very convincing."

"So, where is she?" Gibbs asking wanting to get straight to the point. Abby's ideas were still running through his head and he was still questioning things.

"Taunton School," Abby reported. "It's quite impressive."

"Where is it?"

"Somerset."

"Which is?" Gibbs asked getting tired of Abby not getting right to the point. He was really suddenly tired. He wanted so badly to beg her to just tell him what he wanted to know. Just to tell him everything.

"It's about two and a half hours away," McGee summed up. "But Captain Macklyn could be anywhere. Taunton is a boarding school and Sophia would most likely be there seven days a week."

"Timmy's right," Abby chimed in. "She's a full time student and resident. It was one of my scholarship questions."

"I doubt they're going to give us any information if we just show up," Gibbs told them. "Did you happen to check to see if her last name is Shepard? Or if her mother's first name was Jennifer?" If Abby had gotten them to give her some information, he wondered how much information she was able to get out of them.

"No, they wouldn't give me that information," Abby said. "I was apparently not convincing enough."

"Our first priority will still be Captain Macklyn," Gibbs told them. He wanted them to all be on the same page, though he could tell that Abby would most likely tell him yes, but still want to see the girl. He couldn't fault her, now he was curious. He knew that Sophia wasn't Jenny's daughter, it was impossible. A secret like that wouldn't be able to be kept from him and why would she keep it from him? There was no reason. He would have only supported her. It made him miss Kelly...and Shannon. A child was something precious, he knew that best of all. If Jenny had a child, he'd help protect her until his last breath.

"I understand," McGee responded.

"Abby?" Gibbs prompted. She was pouting and obviously didn't want to agree to his terms.

Abby sighed, "I told you I'm not wrong about this, Gibbs. I know what I'm talking about. Sophia is important. We should look for both of them. Maybe I can go to the school and talk to them and see if I can at least talk to her."

"No offense, Abs," Gibbs said gently. "But a private boarding school isn't going to think you're there for a scholarship."

"Why not?"

"Because you didn't bring your trial clothes."

"What?"

McGee shook his head, "You won't blend in. You don't look preppy..."

"McGee would pass," Gibbs pointed out.

"But Captain Macklyn is our priority," McGee argued.

"That's right," Gibbs told him with a smile. "Captain Macklyn is our priority, but we will also check on this Sophia if we are able to get the chance."

"Thanks Gibbs," Abby said quickly and hugged him as best as she could in the airline seats.

.................................

TBC...


	4. Echo

**Title:** The Truth in the Lie  
**Author:** Shannon - shannyfish  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own "NCIS" or its characters, CBS does. This is merely for entertainment purposes only.  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** The case of a missing marine leads Gibbs down into the past and questions if the truth he knows is true. Takes place during Season Six.

**Warnings:** Spoilers for Season Five Episode "Judgment Day".

**Chapter 4 – "Echo"**

**Author's Note: **

...............................

**Heathrow Airport**

"I'm going to go get our luggage," McGee volunteered once they'd cleared customs. He pulled out a Starbucks card and handed it to Gibbs. "Coffee?"

"Abby gets the coffee," Gibbs said grabbing the card. "I'll supervise Abby."

Abby and McGee exchanged looks before McGee nodded, "Right. Then I'm going to go and get the luggage."

"We'll meet you at the car rental," Gibbs told him before facing Abby.

She stared at him oddly, "Afraid Tim and I will take off and leave you stranded here?" she asked.

"Now I am," Gibbs said as they moved to the line for Starbucks. "Coffee first, though." They waited in the absolutely long line to order their coffees and then patiently waited with the crowd at the pickup counter.

"You're not going to court martial us when we get home, are you?" Abby asked. "You'll see that I'm right."

Gibbs didn't respond and just immediately took his coffee from the coffee carrier once their order was up and headed in the direction of the car rental. When he saw McGee, he sighed, "Are they even going to let us a rent a vehicle?"

"Just as long as we promise to drive on the wrong side of the road, Boss." McGee nodded towards one of the rental dealerships. "I've already made reservations for a vehicle."

"Well at least you were thinking when you made that decision."

Gibbs was overwhelmed at the thought of Jenny being alive, it literally made him sick to think that she was alright and hiding from something in another country. What could she be hiding from? Worst of all, he knew that she'd been sick before...was she still sick if she was alive? He couldn't bring himself to drink the coffee. Just the smell made his stomach roll. He'd wandered away from Abby and McGee. He'd faintly heard McGee inform him that they were going to get the vehicle and meet him in front.

Removing the lid from his Starbucks cup, he poured the hot liquid into the trash and then stuck the lid back on his cup. For now, he'd use it as a prop. He knew without it, Abby would insist on him getting a refill...but with it, it looked like business as usual. This wasn't business as usual though. This was a horrifying turn of events. He'd loved her... Sure, he'd been married a few times and divorced almost just as many...he'd loved Shannon...but he'd loved Jenny as well. After Shannon and Kelly's deaths, he'd had relationships, but they'd never lasted...

Married four times.

Divorced three.

Things just didn't seem to add up right for him. He had a feeling that it had to do with the loss of Shannon and Kelly that he was still working through. It'd been the hardest loss of all. The three divorces hadn't been anything compared to losing his first wife and his only child. Jenny had been like a fifth wife; though he mentally kicked himself for the term...it almost implied bad karma to come to her without fail.

Grief.

It was a funny thing. To cry? To hide? To move on? He couldn't do any of them. He was still grieving for Shannon and Kelly...and now Jenny... Gibbs had a feeling that to most people he didn't seem to be grieving for Jenny Shepard...but he had been. He wasn't an extrovert when it came to his emotions. He was a marine; his emotions were for himself and private. Life went on whether he liked it or not.

He'd broken one of his rules.

Rule number twelve: never date a co-worker.

He'd dated Jenny. She'd been his partner, he was sure that that was closer than a co-worker, but it still counted. He didn't regret it though. He regretted not being there when she needed him, though. Gibbs would have rather gone down in a fight with her... Why was it that the women that he loved in his life were extinguished like a candle when he couldn't be there to save them? Why was it his burden to bear? He was starting to think that he had some kind of curse put upon him that didn't allow him to love someone and allow that person to live for long.

Red hair.

His mind suddenly stopped its onslaught of the past and distraction. It'd been there, a flash of red hair. He immediately started to scan the busy platform and then he saw it. He felt his heart stop for just a second as he took in the scarlet mass. She wasn't far. Dropping his empty prop coffee cup to the ground, he started off in her direction. Gibbs hadn't even bothered to pick up his duffel. Weaving through the crowd, he pushed his way towards the retreating form.

Jenny.

The woman was in better view now. Her hair was shoulder length and slightly curled inward. She was dressed in what appeared to be a black knee length skirt and then some kind of sweater. He continued to push. He needed to see if it was her. Was Abby right? Was Jenny alive? His heart pounded in his chest as he pushed, he noticed the woman stop and then start towards a park vehicle. No. He couldn't lose her. He needed to know.

Jenny.

Gibb didn't care what people said, he was rudely pushing past people. "Jen!" he shouted and then came to a halt when he reached her. He extended his hand to her shoulder and let it gently come to a rest there. "Excuse me?"

Jenny.

She turned, but the woman he saw wasn't Jenny Shepard. She was pretty, but her eyes were a dark brown and her face seemed tighter. It wasn't her. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I thought you were someone else." The woman just nodded as he removed his hand. He breathed out in frustration and slowly started to work his way back to where he'd abandoned his duffel and his prop coffee cup. He'd let himself jump to conclusions. He'd let Abby's crazy idea cloud his judgment. Jenny was dead. Ducky had pronounced her dead. They were there for a marine captain, that was it. Jenny wouldn't be returning with them.

One day. That was all he was giving them. He suddenly felt the need for a drink. He longed to be at home in his basement with his boat. He felt exhausted. "Stupid," he mumbled to himself as he made it back to his bag where he found Abby looking very worried. "Here, Abs," he called once he saw her. She was on the phone and her face was all scrunched up and crinkled with worry.

"Gibbs! Where did you go? You had me worried!" Abby said and immediately hugged him.

"What did you think could possibly happen to me?" he asked putting on a smile for her.

"I don't know," Abby said and picked up the duffel bag. "You might have insulted their tea. The English are very picky about their tea...it could be an offence here."

"Worthy of jail?" he questioned.

Abby shrugged, "It's possible."

He shook his head and just got into the back of the vehicle. It was odd having the driver on the opposite side of the vehicle, but that thought only entered his mind for a moment. His stupidity at chasing after a ghost of Jenny Shepard tortured him as he sat there, but it hadn't even been a ghost...he'd let his hopes get the better of him. He was being damn right illogical; his heart wasn't even telling him that she was there...at least not most of it. He felt a glimmer of hope, but he knew that that was wrong. Why would her death be faked? No. She was dead. Except it. It was the reality of the situation after all.

...........................

**The Bristol Hotel**

"I hope you don't mind us driving so far just to get to a hotel," Abby told him. She'd noticed that Gibbs looked sick...she wasn't sure how. He looked paler to her, weak somehow...but she figured it could have been from his lack of sleep.

"It's fine, Abs. Fancy, though, isn't it?" Gibbs finally asked as he took in his surroundings. It was very clean looking.

"I picked it," she admitted. "Timmy is getting you a room. It shouldn't take too long. We can get dinner after if you'd like?"

"I think I'd rather just lie down." He looked at Abby and noticed that she looked concerned. Worried. "Remember, I said one day. If you and McGee don't find something by tomorrow then we're arranging a flight back."

"I remember." She frowned and tilted her head a bit. "Are you feeling okay, Gibbs? You seem off."

"I'm just tired...jet lagged."

"I thought you didn't get jet lagged."

"I've never had to come to England chasing after you and McGee before," Gibbs told her. "I'll have them bring something to my room and just sleep. I want to start this chase first thing in the morning."

"The school won't be so far of a drive now," Abby announced happy that at least they wouldn't have a long car ride in the morning to look forward to.

"Abby?"

"Yes Gibbs?"

"You and McGee sharing a room?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why not?" she asked. She'd argued McGee into it. He'd gone from two rooms to one room with two rooms and then she'd gotten him to agree to one bed in one room. She figured it would be more fun that way. Plus, it wasn't like they hadn't slept in the same bed before. Abby had a feeling that he was just trying to remain professional, but they were in a completely country. She doubted Gibbs would get upset about that.

He just smirked in response and was grateful when he saw McGee approaching with two room keys. He took his as soon as McGee set it in his hand. Gibbs hadn't even waited to see where his room was. He figured he'd figure it out in the elevator. He set out immediately without a word.

"What's with him?" McGee asked Abby.

Abby frowned severely with concern. "I don't know... Something's wrong. But you know how Gibbs is. He doesn't let us know anything. He has to be all...bottled up and unemotional."

"Yeah."

"I hate that."

.......................

TBC...


	5. Answers at Taunton School

**Title:** The Truth in the Lie  
**Author:** Shannon - shannyfish  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own "NCIS" or its characters, CBS does. This is merely for entertainment purposes only.  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** The case of a missing marine leads Gibbs down into the past and questions if the truth he knows is true. Takes place during Season Six.

**Warnings:** Spoilers for Season Five Episode "Judgment Day".

**Chapter 5 – "Answers at Taunton School"**

**Author's Note: **ok so I'm sort of hiatus-y right now with five weeks of the actual semester left, finals week, and then commencement...so eventually I'll keep writing...

...............................

**Somewhere in England**

"Are you sure we're going the right way, McGee?" Gibbs asked, irritation lacing his voice. Not only were they driving on the wrong side of the road, but they'd been doing so for hours now. He swore that Abby hadn't said it would take so long.

"Yes," McGee told him and then tapped lightly to the small monitor at his side. "The GPS says we should be there in about twenty minutes."

Abby frowned in the backseat. Gibbs had seemed increasingly irritable this morning. "Maybe we should stop for coffee," she offered.

"They don't know how to make coffee here, Abs," Gibbs informed her. "Closest thing I can get is that blasted tea and it's not what I need."

Caffeine withdrawal, Abby decided was the reason for Gibbs' foul mood. Of course she knew Gibbs a bit better and had a feeling that he wasn't telling them something. Abby was sure that the fact that she believed that Director Shepard was alive was most likely a contributing factor to his mood. At the very least, she was relieved that he was allowing them to go all the way out of the way in order to visit the private school in order to see if they could find any information out on the little girl in the picture.

Abby removed the picture from the file they'd brought with them. Staring down at the girl, she took in the red hair. It was stunning against the uniform. At least she looked happy, she thought. This was important to her. She felt like it was important for the whole team, especially Gibbs. If Jenny was out there, then they'd all want to know...even Ducky and Palmer. She'd far prefer Director Shepard to Director Vance. The only reason for this "faked death" that she could think up was that someone was after the director. Maybe someone had threatened her daughter, though not one of them had even known that she had a child. Not even Gibbs.

Gibbs turned when he noticed Abby's increasing silence in the back seat. He noticed the picture in her hands. He wasn't sure what all the thoughts running through her head, but he knew that Abby always had the best intentions.

.........................

**Taunton School**

**Headmaster's Office**

"I'm Doctor John Newton, the headmaster here at Taunton School," the man introduced. "I was told that you're officers from the United States Military. I'm confused as to how we could help you here."

"We're looking into a missing marine," Gibbs spoke up.

Doctor Newton frowned as he leaned back in his expensive leather chair with his hands neatly folded in his lap as he stared at the odd group in front of him. "As far as I know, we have no marines visiting children on campus currently."

"We believe that his disappearance is connected to a child here," Abby spoke up. "We have her picture and her first name."

"That's not a lot to go on," the headmaster told them.

McGee tilted his head a bit. "She'd stand out we believe." He nodded towards Abby. He waited until she showed the headmaster the picture. "How many of your students have are female with red hair."

"Her name is Sophia," Abby explained. "Her last name may be Shepard."

He decided to humor them and typed in the name into the database. "No Sophia Shepard," the headmaster announced. "We do have a privacy act."

"We understand," Gibbs said.

"If you had a constable with you, then perhaps I could assist you in your investigation, but I'm afraid I don't know anything of this little girl or a marine."

Abby pulled out Captain Macklyn's picture. She held it up, upset at his announcement. "But you haven't even looked at him. "His name is Captain Macklyn. He's been missing...and Sophia, she could be missing too if she's not here at your school." Abby was desperate. If they didn't find a lead here, then they'd be back to NCIS Headquarters. "She's only six," Abby told him as she held up Sophia's picture again. "I'm sure you wouldn't want anything to happen to her."

The headmaster frowned. "You cannot even be sure that the child is from our school."

"The emblem is from your school," McGee spoke up. "That's how we located you."

"I know she's here," Abby told him. "It's just a matter of finding her name."

"I'd like to request you to leave this campus," the headmaster said suddenly.

"You haven't even looked. Someone must know her," Abby insisted. "Can't you just type in Sophia? It's S-o-p-h-i-a. I'm sure you can search by just the first name."

Getting to his feet, the headmaster buttoned his dark blue jacket up. "I'm afraid that I'm going to send you back across the pond with no information on your marine. I hope you find him well."

"She's six," Abby told him. She felt a hand on her shoulder, but she was still pissed off. Abby found herself being guided out of the headmaster's office. She'd failed in her mission. All Abby had wanted to do was to help Jenny and to help Gibbs. Right now, she wasn't helping anyone. They were going to have to return to NCIS Headquarters...it was going to be a long flight home filled with awkward silence.

"Sophia Macklyn was picked up earlier today," the headmaster spoke up as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Gibbs stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Macklyn? Captain Macklyn doesn't have a daughter."

"He was in a uniform," the headmaster confirmed. "He was here with a woman, I assumed the girl's mother. We check I.D.s before we release our children. She was returned to her legal guardians."

"Thank you," Abby said. It wasn't a lot, but it was something to go on.

"The woman," Gibbs fished.

"I didn't get a good look at her. I remember though, she had red hair, like Sophia, as well," the headmaster told them. "I hope you find them all well. We don't want anything to happen to our students."

.........................

**Outside of Taunton School**

Abby didn't say anything. She wanted to, but she stayed quiet. She wanted to know what Gibbs thought about the whole situation. Did he think that Jenny could be alive now? Sure, it wasn't like they'd shown them security tape of Sophia being picked up, but just looking at the picture could bring up the possibility of Sophia's mother being Jenny Shepard. Jenny was alive, she knew it. They were on the right path. They'd just been a little late in getting there.

"So, Captain Macklyn is working for Jenny...she has a daughter that no one knew about...and she's running from us now, why exactly?" Gibbs asked. "Did I get it close enough to the hair brain plan you've come up with?"

"Yeah," McGee said quietly and turned away. He wasn't sure if Gibbs was pissed or just...Gibbs. For all they knew, he could blow at any moment.

Abby frowned. "Maybe someone else is coming after them. They're not running from us, they're running from someone else."

"Who?" Gibbs questioned.

McGee frowned. "That's one that we don't know."

"Do you think it's Jenny or not?" Abby asked.

"I'm not sure what to think," Gibbs admitted.

"Well, I'm going to believe that it's her and that she and Captain Macklyn and Sophia need our help. They just don't know it yet. They may not even know that we're here," Abby told him.

McGee looked to Abby. "Or your phone call may have scared them into picking up Sophia and running off."

"But --" Abby started and then left her mouth open for a moment. "I didn't mean to –" She tried to form coherent sentences, but it wasn't really working well. "Well, we have to find them," she finally spoke up.

.................................

TBC....


End file.
